


Like Silent Raindrops

by aurons_fan



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M, Post-Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 16:58:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14898429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurons_fan/pseuds/aurons_fan
Summary: Riku and his friends have trained for months (if not years) to take down Xehanort. That should have been enough.It wasn't.





	Like Silent Raindrops

**Author's Note:**

> I uh. I got home from work one day and just thought "How can I break Riku today?" Sorry Riku! You're just too happy in KHDDD and it makes me want to pinch your cheeks and ruin your day.
> 
> But hey! Released date news for KH3 and trailers!! So we're all happy. Especially me, because I like my characters sad. 
> 
> Thanks you S and RS for the beta, and I'm dedicating this to Possk because I like making her sad.
> 
> Title is from "Sound of Silence" by Disturbed (I realize that Simon and Garfunkle originally created it but shush.)

Riku didn’t expect it to end this way.

He supposed none of them did, not really. With all of King Mickey’s training, Yensid’s encouragement, Sora’s practice, Kairi’s strength, and Lea’s determination…

He supposed that Goofy and Donald tried as well.

Goddammit. He was a Keyblade Master. He should have learned enough to stop all of this. With what he and Sora and Kairi had been practicing all those months, they should have enough skill to have executed this plan. With all of them, here and working together, it should have been enough for them to stop Xehanort. For them to save the world.

But as he surveyed the battlefield, it became too obvious that they had failed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lea laying motionless with one of his charkram’s dug deep into his chest. Kairi whimpered next to him, one of her legs unnaturally bent. Yensid was nowhere to be seen, and King Mickey was leaning heavily on his keyblade. Donald half lay on Goofy, and while before, it had almost sounded like the duck was crying, now neither of them were made a sound.

Fuck.

And Sora…

Sora stood in the middle of the battlefield, his keyblade at his feet. After a moment, he looked up, and smiled. “Come on, Riku,” he said, reaching a hand out. “Join me.”

His eyes, his beautiful blue shining eyes, were now a bright yellow.

In the back of Riku’s mind, the part that wasn’t screaming to go see if Kairi was okay, he realized that this was some perverse switch of when Riku had asked Sora to join him in darkness all those years ago.

Riku gritted his teeth. He saw King Mickey beginning to kneel onto the ground, but Riku couldn’t break eye contact to see if the mouse was okay or not. Not when Sora – no, _Xehanort_ had his attention.

Lea had turned his back once, trying to see if Kairi was okay, and look where it had gotten _him_. With Riku as the last one standing, he couldn't let his guard down. Not for one moment.

“Give Sora back,” Riku hissed. “You already have all of your damn vessels. You don’t need him. Just…” he could hear his voice start to crack, and he couldn’t show weakness to this monster. He refused to give Xehanort the pleasure. “Give him _back_.”

Xehanort hummed and stepped forward. It took Riku every ounce of willpower to not flinch. He made himself focus. If he let his mind wander, even for a moment, his face would reflect just how scared he was of the darkness Xehanort could summon - power that could snap Kairi's limbs like they were nothing.

It didn't help that Sora's screams kept echoing in his head, screams he only heard when he'd been possessed. It was maddening.

And he couldn't have that.

So, Riku swallowed but kept his keyblade up, pointed directly at Xehanort.

Xehanort ignored it. He pushed it aside and moved in so close that Riku could feel Xehanort’s breath on his face. “You’re right, Riku,” he said softly. “I don’t _need_ Sora. I could let you and your friends walk away right now, heal up, try to hurt me again, and I _would still win_.”

“Then _why_ —” Riku began, when Xehanort placed a finger to Riku’s lips.

“Be quiet and let me finish, Riku,” he said.

Riku resisted the urge to growl. He had to keep reminding himself that he didn't have the upper hand here, and it wouldn’t do to act foolishly. But damn did he want to.

Xehanort grinned, the expression downright eerie in Sora’s body.

“Because this is _fun_. Because it’s not enough to destroy your little friends, it’s not enough to wipe out your _King_ …” Xehanort trailed off, glancing off to a side of the field. His yellow eyes seemed to almost dance with excitement.

Without meaning to, Riku turned his head, trying to find King Mickey on the field. When he saw the mouse completely slouched over, no longer moving, his mind went blank.

How could King Mickey fall? None of this should have been possible, but for King Mickey to be… No. There was _no way_ King Mickey was dead. Riku was just in a waking nightmare, and he needed to find some way to wake up.

He sucked in a breath as he felt Xehanort’s hand grab at his chin and turn him before he could say anything. As much as Riku tried not to, all he could focus on was Sora’s eyes. Or well – Xehanort’s eyes.

“It’s not enough to destroy all the silly warriors of light. But to watch their last hope – their last _true_ Keyblade Master, have to fight his beloved…” Xehanort let go of Riku’s chin and took a small step back. “That is entertainment one does not just pass up.”

“You’re a monster,” Riku snarled.

Xehanort let out a laugh, and it was so vastly different to how Sora’s laugh actually sounded that Riku stiffened. “Oh, Riku my dear boy,” Xehanort said. “I’m sorry that your friends got in my way. I just wanted to watch _you_ suffer. Because you make it so, _so_ much fun for me.” He took a small step back, and then seemingly vanished from view.

“You’ve done enough!” Riku shouted. He looked around, trying to see where Xehanort had gone. His eyes darted across the field, trying to find some sort of movement but there was none. He swallowed, trying to push past the lump in his throat, and yelled, “You’ve hurt my friends! You’ve-”

And then there was a short, strangled scream and Riku’s heart stopped. He whipped his head around to where the scream had come from, to Kairi, only to see Xehanort standing up, gently releasing Kairi’s neck.

“Killed is more accurate,” Xehanort said, wiping his hands. He frowned at them, and wiped them again. “There. Now we can talk in private.”

Riku’s keyblade clattered to the ground, and a second later, he followed. He hadn’t even realized he was dropping until his hands scraped against the ground, and he hissed. But the pain pulled him back, forced him to realize that… fuck, _Kairi_ …

And then her scream bounced around his brain and suddenly, Riku’s face was wet. “Goddammit!” he screamed, not even bothering to wipe at his face. “Why?!”

Xehanort huffed, like this was _annoying_ , like he hadn’t just _killed_ one of Riku’s oldest friends while wearing the skin of another. Like Xehanort was tired of all this. “I’ve already explained it to you…” he said.

“You’ve had your fun!” Riku continued. “Haven't I suffered enough?? Why don’t you just kill me too?!”

Xehanort stepped in close, and Riku looked up from where he kneeled. Xehanort, goddamn him, looked _excited_. Something in Riku just snapped.

He stumbled to his feet and let out a scream. He must have sounded like a wounded animal, but he was beyond caring. He leveled a punch at Xehanort, not expecting it to connect. Riku half expected Xehanort to slice him in half, but Riku would’ve welcomed it.

After today, after all of this, he was done being some monster’s pawn. He would rather go down swinging than to be left on this battlefield alone with proof of his failures.

But then his fist connected. For a moment, Riku felt his heart race. Maybe if he kept going, he could knock Xehanort down. Then, if he found a few potions, he could heal Kairi and King Mickey and the battle could continue. They could do this! He could win!

But Xehanort turned back to him, hurt and confused and ... _wait_. Why were his eyes blue again?

“Sora?” Riku choked out. When Sora’s bright, blue eyes began to fill with tears, Riku felt his heart tear apart.  

“Riku?” Sora said, reaching for him. Riku squeezed his eyes shut. “Riku, please, it’s me! Don’t hurt me anymore!”

The worst part was he knew this was a trap. Riku knew that Xehanort was playing him for a fool, but god, it _hurt_ and he just wanted to believe that Sora was back. He wanted to believe it so badly, but he couldn’t let himself be tricked that easily.

Sora kept babbling and gasping in shock, and it sounded like he was full on sobbing. But Riku dropped to his knees, covering his face with his hands. If he looked at Sora, he was going to do something stupid, like hug him or try to have them run off and escape but it wasn’t Sora. It couldn't be that easy.

But he wanted it to be _so badly_.

After a while, Sora stopped crying, and a soft chuckle came from him. Riku didn’t even need to uncover his eyes to know that Sora’s eyes had changed to yellow again, and that Xehanort was just revealing in the joy of Riku’s complete and utter defeat.

“I thought you wanted him back,” Xehanort said, resting a hand on Riku’s shoulder. Riku didn’t even have the energy to shake him off. “I gave you that, just for a moment. Didn’t that feel _wonderful_?”

“Why won’t you kill me?” Riku said softly. “Please just… Don’t do this. Please just… anything is better than this.”

Xehanort’s hand lifted off his shoulder gently. Riku finally removed the hands from in front of his eyes only to realize that his face was covered in tears. But he didn’t care anymore. Fuck. Sora. _Sora_.

Xehanort kneeled down beside him, but Riku barely reacted. He definitely didn’t look over to him. What was the point of seeing Sora’s face with all the wrong expressions and _eyes_ and....

Why had they even tried to take down Xehanort? He was so much stronger what they were expecting that it was laughable. King Mickey and Yensid clearly hadn’t trained them well enough, and this was Riku's fault. He brought all his friends here, thinking they could defeat this monster, and they all lay dead at his feet. What had he done.

There was a sigh beside him. “You humans are so pathetic,” Xehanort said.

Riku didn’t even have the energy to reply.

“But I do have a deal for you. A way to save your precious Sora.”

Riku finally looked at him, not really sure why. He didn’t believe Xehanort, but the idea of maybe saving Sora was enough for Riku to at least look up.

“What… would you have me do?” Riku mumbled.

“Become my vessel,” Xehanort said. Riku froze. “You have conquered the darkness which makes you even stronger than this child. And to have a vessel with the power to control the dark and the light… well. I could destroy worlds within the snap of my fingers.”

Riku looked up and shuddered. That grin on Sora’s face… Riku would never get used to it. That trade off wasn’t even fair. Sora would be brought back, but the worlds could be destroyed by this monster, riding Riku like he was a one trick pony…

Hell no. He'd done that shit before.

But… for _Sora_ …

At the very least, there was the small possibility that Riku would be able to hold his own against Xehanort. Sora, on the other hand, had to be screaming.

That is, if he was still even _alive_.

Riku swallowed and finally locked eyes with Xehanort, hating how he could see the glee within their yellow depths. “Will Sora be safe?” he asked. His eyes flickered over to where Kairi and Lea lay, to where King Mickey was slumped, and to where Donald and Goofy were, and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Will you protect and heal my friends?”

King Mickey would be ashamed. Riku should be fighting more. He should have jumped to his feet, grabbed his keyblade, and continued the fight against Xehanort, but what was even the point. They lost. They had lost horrifically, and Riku needed to make sure his friends would be okay.

It was either this, or have Sora suffer for all eternity.

Xehanort gave a gentle nod. “He will be well protected. Your friends... Well. Sora will be safe. I give you my word.”

A small part of him was screaming, yelling at him to stop this. This was madness and Riku was going to let the world burn all for the chance to see Sora be _Sora_ again. But fuck it. No one else was around to stop him.

And he needed to see Sora smile, at least one more time.

Riku nodded. “Fuck. Just… do it.” He lowered his head. Maybe the transfer would be immediate. Maybe he wouldn’t even have to contemplate the fact that he just handed Xehanort the Worlds on a silver platter.

But Xehanort grabbed Riku by the shoulder and tugged him to his feet. “Oh, Riku,” he said, grinning. “This will be _so_ much fun.”

Then he leaned in and kissed Riku.

Honestly, after the day Riku had had, that didn’t even phase him.

But when the world suddenly went black  Riku half regretted what he had done.

\--

“—ku! Riku! Come on, get up!”

Riku jumped up, rubbing at his face. The room was dark, and Riku could barely see Sora, but the gentle sunlight from the window let him just make out Sora’s grin. “Come on, we have to go train! We’re going to kick Xehanort’s ass. You’ll see. Soon, all that training is going to pay off!”

Riku blinked a few times. “Sora… wait… what?”

Sora rolled his eyes and hopped onto the bed, nuzzling into Riku’s side. “We're going to be fine. I know you’ve been worried, but we’ll be okay! Now come _on_ , Kairi and Lea have already gone down for breakfast, and I want to make sure that Kairi doesn't set Lea on fire again."

Sora bounced, literally bounced, off the bed, and started to move towards door.

What was happening? Moments ago, Xehanort had... _kissed_ him, and now, Sora was _here_ and okay? And Kairi and Lea were alive?

“Sora… wait,” Riku said. He swung his legs over the bed, still staring at the brunet. He wasn’t going to be creepy, he _wasn’t_ , but he just needed a moment to figure out what was happening. “Can you just… come here?”

Sora looked back, and Riku looked up as the light illuminated him. It made him look so peaceful and so calm and… Riku sucked in a breath. There was no trace of yellow in his eyes – none at all.

“Fine… jeez, you’ve really gotten touchy in the mornings now.” But he grinned, all warmth, and approached Riku. “I guess I can do with one more—woah!”

Riku tugged Sora in tightly. “Fuck,” Riku said softly. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Fuck, _Sora_. I had a horrible dream that… we fought Xehanort. And we had lost.” _And he killed everyone I cared about and hurt you and I gave up…_ The thought spun around and around in his head, but Riku wouldn’t voice it. He wouldn’t put that out there.

Sora hummed and stroked Riku’s hair. “But that was just a dream,” he said softly. “And you’re okay now.  King Mickey is going to fight right beside us. Riku, I really think we can do this.”

Fuck… Had it really all just been a dream? It had just felt so _real_. Riku could practically still feel the pain in his throat from screaming, and he could see Lea’s and Kairi’s bodies just… laying there motionless.

He let out a breath and pulled Sora in closer.

After a while, Sora untangled himself from Riku’s grasp and leaned down, kissing Riku’s forehead. “If you need a little more sleep, that’s fine,” he said. “I’ll tell the others you’ll be down in a bit.”

Without another word, Sora walked out of the room.

Riku was overreacting. He had to be. He sighed, scrubbed a hand down his face, and climbed out of bed. A good face wash would help out.

He fumbled for the lights, not really needing them now that the sun was making its way up into the sky. He yawned, eyes scrunched tight as he turned on the faucet and let the water run. He let out a sigh, before he splashed his face with water, and grabbed a towel to dry his face.

He glanced into the mirror, face half dry and still half awake, when he froze. The towel dropped out of his hands and into the wet sink below.

Riku’s eyes were yellow.

**Author's Note:**

> the working title of this fic was "and he opened his heart to darkness" tee hee.
> 
> also this fic would've been up faster if SOMEONE hadn't released a trailer!!! aslndlakenkdkenlabdl
> 
> Thanks for reading, and you can find me on [tumblr](http://legendaryguardian.tumblr.com/)!


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